


Pays Off

by youtomyme



Category: Supernatural
Genre: High School AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-27
Updated: 2012-12-27
Packaged: 2017-11-22 14:58:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/611084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youtomyme/pseuds/youtomyme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gabriel's had a crush on popular kid Dean for ages. Castiel opens a door.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pays Off

**Author's Note:**

> For thelastofthecrazypeople at Tumblr for Christmas

Dean Winchester did not have many of the things that usually made boys popular. He was not athletic (the only thing he could do was run five miles without stopping, but he was too lazy to join the track team), or rich (he wore all his father's old clothes, although Gabriel knew this was because he made sure all the family money went to his brother), or even very clever (as a matter of fact, he was rather geeky; Gabriel suspected he'd watched everything mildly related to Star Trek three times). But he was handsome and charming, and he loved his brother, and for that Gabriel loved him.

Not that Dean knew that. Gabriel was pretty sure Dean didn't know he existed at all. As a second brother, Gabriel was often overlooked, and was only known as 'Michael's little brother'. Michael, the eldest Milton, was handsome, athletic, and clever, all things that served to make him very popular. Gabriel was just a member of the debate club (although an honourary one!).

Castiel, the youngest brother, went to the same elementary school as Sam, Dean's younger brother, and the two became friends one year. This, in Gabriel's opinion, was perfect, because it meant he would have more chance to catch sight of (and maybe even talk to) Dean. When Castiel first asked to go over to Sam's house after school, Gabriel could have thrown confetti over the table.

'Sure thing, hunny,' their mother said somewhat absently.

'I'll pick you up when you're done,' Gabriel added happily.

'You just want to stalk Dean Winchester,' Raphael said.

'You bet,' Gabriel grinned.

'Why don't you just talk to him?' Castiel asked. From anyone else, it would have been a taunt or a reprimand; from Castiel, it was mere question.

'He probably doesn't want to talk to someone as lame as me,' Gabriel explained.

'I don't think you're lame,' Castiel frowned, and Gabriel laughed and ruffled the boy's hair.

When Gabriel went over to pick Castiel up, he was simultaneously elated and horrified when Dean answered the door.

'Hi Gabriel,' Dean said. 'Are you here to get Cas?'

Gabriel blinked up blankly at him. He didn't know Dean knew his name. 'Yeah I am.'

'They're probably braiding each other's hair right now, you can come in to wait,' Dean offered, and Gabriel accepted, heart thumping so loudly he was sure Dean could hear it.

'Sammy, Gabriel's here to pick up Cas!' Dean shouted up the stairs while Gabriel went to lean against the radiator, his hands folded behind his back. Now that he was actually in Dean's presence, he didn't know what to do or say. He could tell that Dean was that much more good-looking this close, though.

'Hey, good win with that match against the next school last week,' Dean said to Gabriel, slouching up against the railing of the stairs. It took Gabriel half a moment to realise that Dean was talking about his debate club. 'Everyone says our school won because of you.'

Gabriel flushed hotly, although that may have been from the radiator too. He was suddenly glad for the scarf he'd thought to wrap around the lower half of his face before he left home. 'Thanks,' he muttered. 'But it wasn't just me.'

'You're always so busy with the debate club,' Dean said, looking straight at him. Gabriel struggled to keep his gaze. 'Do you do anything else?'

'I draw,' Gabriel shrugged. This was why he'd never talked to Dean before - he was so lame and uninteresting.

'I'd like to see your drawings,' Dean said, and Gabriel was so taken aback, he couldn't think of a reply until Sam and Castiel flew down the stairs, holding hands and laughing.

'Hi,' said Sam, bright eyes observing Gabriel. 'You're Gabriel, Cas's big brother?'

'Yeah. Hi, Sam.'

'Have you and Dean had a good conversation?' Castiel said in the serious way he had.

'It was great, kiddo,' Dean laughed. 'See you, Cas. Bye, Gabriel.'

'Bye,' Gabriel said with a wave, hoping his smile wasn't too wide or too ugly.

'See? Dean doesn't think you're lame,' Castiel said.

'Did you make friends with Sam and get him to invite you to his house just to prove that point?'

'No. But I think it helped.'

Afterwards, Castiel went to Sam's house quite often, and Sam visited the Miltons. The first time this was supposed to happen, Michael actually went into a panic because they'd never had guests who weren't relatives before, and he didn't think the house was 'presentable'. Castiel forcibly stepped in when Michael yelled at Gabriel to clean up his room to tell him that Sam wasn't very interested in the state of anybody's bedrooms, and Michael slunk away like a dog with its tail between its legs.

A few hours later, Dean came to collect Sam. Raphael answered the door, shouted at Castiel and Sam to come down, then went to the kitchen and booted Gabriel out of it and into the hallway where Dean was waiting.

The next day, Gabriel was inspecting a sandwich, trying to figure out which brother had prepared it, when Dean slid onto the seat opposite him. He nearly dropped the sandwich.

'Hi,' Dean said. 'Those look better than the shit they're serving today.'

'If they were made by Raphael, they're probably poisoned,' Gabriel said without really thinking about it, and Dean laughed.

'Can't be worse than Sammy's cooking.'

'There are three things worse than Raphael's cooking, and one of them is snake venom.'

'C'mon, let me try it.'

'You'll sue me for food poisoning!'

'And if I win, I'll share the money with you, now let me taste it.'

Gabriel complied, and then watched with amusement as Dean bit into it and promptly spat it out.

'What are the other two things worse than Raphael's cooking?' he asked, wiping his mouth, then taking a large gulp of water.

'Dried dung and stale pie that looks like it's still good but doesn't taste good when you bite it.'

'Man, tell me about that one,' Dean said, pulling a face. 'Love pie, hate stale crusts.'

It wasn't until later that it occurred to Gabriel that he'd just had a conversation with Dean that involved food and laughter, two of Gabriel's favourite things in the world, and he could have floated the length of the school with happiness.

-

It all happened rather fast. One minute, Gabriel was walking down the hallway, penning notes into his sketchbook, the next, he'd collided heavily with someone, and that someone was Dean.

'Oh God, sorry Gabriel!' Dean said in a rush, bending down to help pick up Gabriel's sketchbook. Had it been anyone else, Gabriel would have snatched the book back and stormed off with a scowl, silently swearing revenge, but since it was Dean, he only went to chase his pencil, trying to conceal a smile.

'It's okay,' he said, coming back with the pencil in hand. 'I should've watched where I was going.'

He extended a hand for the book, but Dean wasn't paying attention. Dean was looking down at a page with a frown on his brow.

'What?' Gabriel asked, and then he realised that Dean was holding his sketchbook and he jerked it out of Dean's hands.

'Gabriel -'

'Shut up,' said Gabriel fiercely, turning a bright shade of red. 'Shut the fuck up, don't say anything.'

'But -'

Gabriel took to his heels. He had one more class before the end of the day, but he didn't care. He turned and ran for home.

Michael yelled at him when he came in and followed him up the stairs, nagging at him about school. Gabriel ignored him, clutching his sketchbook and pencil like a lifeline, like if he dropped them, something in him would snap.

'What happened at school?' Michael demanded. When Gabriel didn't answer, only went into his room and pulled down the blinds, Michael said 'Is this about Dean?'

'Yes,' Gabriel replied shortly.

'Fine. Just this once.' And to Gabriel's amazement, Michael left.

Man, he was so pathetic about Dean, even his big brother took pity on him at the mention of the name.

Only when Michael was safely out the door and Gabriel was in bed with the covers drawn up did Gabriel dare look at the picture Dean had been looking at. To his dismay, it was one of the most romantic portraits he'd drawn of Dean - it was coloured so that the light was shining just so, and in a moment of why-the-hell-not, he'd surrounded it with pink flowers.

He was going to die. Things had been going so well, too.

Two hours later, he was still on the bed, doodling. He couldn't stop himself from tracing the shape of Dean's eyes and trying to imagine the number of Dean's freckles. He'd never been close enough to count, and he supposed that now he'd never have the opportunity to be.

It was at this moment that the door chose to open and shut.

'Go away,' Gabriel said without looking up.

'No,' said Dean's voice, and Gabriel's heart descended to somewhere around his ankles.

'I'm sorry. Can't you just leave me alone?'

'Not until I know what you're sorry about.' Dean sat down beside him, and Gabriel looked up to glare.

'You know what I mean.'

'No I don't.'

'You saw my drawing,' Gabriel said with irritation. 'Now you know I'm a creepy stalker and want to have nothing to do with me. I'm sorry.'

'Why would you be sorry about that? I liked it.'

It took a moment for Gabriel to understand this. 'You ... liked it?'

'Yeah, I thought it was nice! I mean -' Dean blushed. 'I'm not saying it's nice because it's me, although I am a handsome devil if I do say so myself.' Gabriel's mouth twitched at that. 'But I think you're good at drawing. I think that's cool.'

'Really?' Gabriel said, mouth twisting as he processed this information.

'Yeah.' Dean suddenly took one of Gabriel's hands in his own. 'I'd like to see the rest of your drawings.'

'Th-they're not that great,' Gabriel said quietly. He was thinking _Dean's holding my hand_ , making all other coherent thoughts somewhat difficult. 'They're all pretty silly.'

'Liar,' Dean said, squeezing Gabriel's hand, sweeping all the breath out of him. 'I bet they're awesome.'

'Well maybe you should bribe me to see them,' Gabriel said, suddenly feeling brave.

'Oh yeah?' A smile played at the corner of Dean's mouth. Apparently, he was having much the same thought. 'How about a kiss?'

'Do you think I'm that cheap?' Gabriel said, hoping he wasn't pushing it.

'Fine. A few kisses.'

'How many?'

'As many as you like,' Dean said, then pulled Gabriel into one immediately. They ended up having a bit of a wrestling match on the bed, and still their fingers remained intertwined.

'I should get to see everything you've drawn from the moment you were born for this,' Dean growled, pressing a sucking kiss to Gabriel's collarbone.

'Okay,' Gabriel gasped out. 'Anything you want.'


End file.
